Cycling in the Felicianas

There was a time not long ago when, to avoid getting lost during a bike ride through the hills of West Feliciana parish, you needed a guide with an excellent sense of direction, or a really good map. For years, seasoned cyclists have been coming to the Felicianas to ride, and discovering routes that make the most of the Tunica Hills’ rolling terrain, lightly trafficked byways, and gorgeous rural vistas. Anyone who lives along those quiet backroads will tell you that spotting a flock of brightly clad bikers bowling by is no rarity. But for beginner riders and those less acquainted with the idiosyncrasies of rural road naming, the prospect of plunging into the Felicianas’ maze of little roadways and ending up lost forever—or worse, having to ride fifty miles instead of fifteen—can serve as a bit of a barrier to entry. But here’s the good news: In these days of online maps, where there’s no American road along which a route cannot be remotely plotted, then sent to one’s cell phone, it’s never been easier to enjoy the simple pleasures of a spring day, a decent bike, and a few miles of empty road. So, with just a couple of months to go before the West Feliciana Classic Bicycle Extravaganza fills these Feliciana hills with riders of all levels, we thought we’d go take a ride, and asked a few members of the Baton Rouge Bicycle Club to lead the way.

Any possibility of getting lost vanished once Bruce Wickert got involved. There aren’t many folks who know their way around the Feliciana parishes’ back roads better than Wickert does. A fifty-six-year-old Baton Rougean, Wickert is an engineer and lifelong cycling devotee with a flexible work schedule that allows him plenty of time to serve as president of the Baton Rouge Bike Club. There he divides his time between leading rides, organizing events, and advocating for efforts to better incorporate cycling into the recreational and transportation fabric of the capital city. Wickert was joined by Kathy Constantin, BRBC treasurer and another enthusiastic rider who, with her husband Mike, got into cycling seven years ago at the age of fifty, and found herself smitten. St. Francisville resident Adrian Percy joined us too. A musician and consultant whose business normally takes him to Baton Rouge, Adrian couldn’t resist the invitation for a spring Friday morning bike ride, either. We four met in the parking lot of Que Pasa Mexican Restaurant, which stands at the lower reaches of Ferdinand Street, where the land drops down towards Bayou Sara and the ferry landing. Que Pasa provided a good spot for unloading bikes, and also held the promise of plenty of carb-heavy tacos and enchiladas upon our return.

The plan was to ride out for around three hours, avoiding the traffic and road construction of Highway 61 and the larger state roads, in favor of some of the serene routes that fan out into the Tunica Hills. From Que Pasa, Tunica Street took us over a single lane bridge before becoming Mahoney Road for the gentle, half-mile climb up from Bayou Sara, past the white fences of Imahara’s Arboretum and off into the countryside. It’s probably about two miles of undulating smooth blacktop before Mahoney Road sidles down to the banks of the broad, sandy creek that deepens to become Bayou Sara downstream, and we slowed to a crawl to cross the wide, low-water bridge that remains passable so long as the water’s not too high. After this a right turn at the junction with Metz Road, (the way down to Cat Island NWR), introduced us to the Solitude Road for the ride up again, mostly, twisting and winding into the hills, past ageless live oaks and homes of all descriptions—from singlewides to antebellum planters’ cottages.

A few miles further, and a turn onto Greenwood Road signaled a new challenge, as the hitherto smooth blacktop gave way to a four-mile section of degraded, potholed roadway that snakes along a narrow ridge. The rough surface calls for redirecting one’s attention from the scenery to the obstacle course ahead of the front wheel for awhile.

But in any case, it wasn’t long before we were onto smoother surfaces again, bowling along beneath a canopy of live oak limbs towards enormous Greenwood Plantation. In front of the gates of that huge home we turned again, and followed Highland Road as it sweeps past Ellerslie Plantation, and through open pastureland punctuated by occasional solitary live oaks, past clumps of politely interested cattle, before, finally, a turn onto Highway 968 to its intersection with Louisiana Highway 66 reminded us that automobiles also frequent these byways.

Ultimately, we were about twenty miles from St. Francisville by this time, and still the options abound. A left turn onto Highway 66 at this point would bring us to the Ouida-Irondale road within a mile or two—a similarly scenic ribbon that unrolls beneath that green canopy all the way back to the spectacular Sligo Road—another popular route into Lake Rosemound. There we could cross US 61 and follow more little laneways, all the way back to town for a total distance of more than sixty scenic miles. But instead we elected to retrace our steps and, save for a little detour up the beginnings of the Old Tunica Road (very steep; another story for another day), we turned towards home. All the way, Wickert employed his encyclopedic knowledge of the area to note distances, point out landmarks, alert us to possible pitfalls like loose gravel or rough road surface, and generally help us better appreciate the world as seen from a bicycle seat.

And what a world that turns out to be. Freed from the metal envelope of a car, riders experience not only the sights, but also the sounds and scents of a southern springtime, at a pace that allows those things to enter the consciousness as more than just momentary glimpses beyond the car window. Then there’s the very real pleasure of seeing the countryside under one’s own power. Our pace was unhurried, fourteen or fifteen miles-per-hour, and three hours later, by the time we swooped down Mahoney Road back into Bayou Sara, I for one was mildly surprised to have covered more than forty miles.

You don’t have to go that far, of course. Among the many advantages of cycling in St. Francisville is that, with so many interconnecting roads to explore, one can put together a route of just about any length, and enjoy it at one’s own pace while avoiding spending much time mixing it up with automobile traffic out on Highway 61. If there’s a difficulty, it’s simply in knowing where to go.

So if any of the above sounds like something you’d like to try, here are a few suggestions to get you started. Each week the Baton Rouge Bicycle Club leads a series of rides, in Baton Rouge and St. Francisville, for riders of various levels. Bruce Wickert leads several casual rides in and around the Baton Rouge area, such as the popular “Tour de Coffee” Saturday intermediate ride, which leaves from Goodwood Park at 12:30 pm, with a stop to pick up more riders at City Park at 1 pm. Total distance is around 30 miles at a gentle, 15 mph pace. On Sundays, Kathy Constantin leads a twenty-five to thirty-five mile tour of West Feliciana parish backroads to the east of Highway 61, at a leisurely, 14–15 mph pace. There are others. Complete information on all BRBC rides is available at the club’s Web site: www.batonrougebikeclub.com.

Then, there’s the Internet. Google’s “Maps” function allows users to customize maps, marking routes and roads, then share them with others. Alternatively, the Web site www.mapmyride.com presents maps of an extraordinary range of rides all over the country, submitted by the site’s users. At the time of writing, mapmyride was showing fifteen St. Francisville area rides, and scores more in and around Baton Rouge. Click on “Search for Rides” then type in “St. Francisville” and have a look around.

Last but not least, for those who prefer the idea of taking to the hills en masse, the upcoming West Feliciana Bicycle Extravaganza might be just the thing. A two-day series of bike races and touring rides coming to St. Francisville over Memorial Day, the West Feliciana Classic promises events for riders—from kids to casual riders, to mountain bikers to all-out pros—throughout the weekend. The Baton Rouge Bike Club is hosting rides of various lengths, as is Baton Rouge Advocates for Safe Streets (BRASS), Baton Rouge Area Mountain Bike Association (BRAMBA) and more. Entergy, Lane Memorial Hospital and Country Roads are sponsors. To learn more about the festival’s various events, which include a Sunday festival devoted to all things on two wheels, click HERE.

There’s even a chance to win a bike valued at $400, donated by the Bicycle Shop of Baton Rouge. In the meantime, springtime’s here, and there’re worse ways of seeing it than from the seat of a bicycle.